How to Make Your Website Stand OutPublished in the AMA Bulletinby John Wilkinson, JH&A Advertising

Today the Internet hosts over 92,000,000 websites. How can you make yours stand out while displaying your products or services in the most compelling light? Here are some tips from an industry expert that will help you build a better site that effectively communicates your message.

Robert Cowes is an expert at creating websites that spotlight products and drive success. He most recently worked at S1 Corporation as the Web Technologies Product Manager and is co-founder of the consulting firm, Intra-Focus Marketing Solutions.

According to Cowes, a successful site considers six critical elements: audience, objective, layout, navigation, content and imagery. It is important for web-based marketers to understand who will be using the site and for what purpose. “People surf the web to research, learn and purchase products. Content addressing these three topics is crucial,” said Cowes.

When a potential customer or client visits a site, they should be greeted by an intuitive “master plan” or site map. A >site map helps visitors quickly and easily navigate to the information they are looking for.

Well thought-out navigation helps create a positive experience for the visitor. Highly visible headers and simple icons should smoothly guide the visitor from page to page. In addition, rotating content not only gives marketers a chance to share more information, it keeps visitors interested and informed. Finally, relevant imagery reinforces your company’sbrand positioning and messaging. “An analogy is a store front,” Cowes explains. “As with retail, your window dressing helps customers decide whether they will enter or pass you by.” Encourage browsers to stop with interesting graphics that complement your brand, enhance your image and provide valuable information not readily available elsewhere.

So you’ve made some website improvements, but how can you know if they work? Consider a call to action. Requesting a response makes recording site traffic easier. For example, a toll-free number and an e-form are useful tools. Ask your visitors, “How did you hear about us?” or “Do you have any comments?”

Eventually, there should be a correlation between the number of page views your web site receives and the number of inquiry forms submitted.

By carefully considering your audience and objective, you can create content, imagery, a layout and a navigation system tailored to their needs while also improving product awareness. Next month there will be over 96,000,000 websites. Are you achieving your fair share of visits?

With the internet taking over modern-day media and becoming so important to the livelihood of businesses, many companies have found that they need to rebrand their presence in the marketplace. While this task may seem daunting, Intra-Focus, Inc. has created a companywide rebranding process that eases companies through the transition.

Intra-Focus, Inc., a full-service marketing company that integrates art and technology with marketing expertise and trend setting creativity, has been helping its clients build brand strategy and market presence that generate qualified demand and quantifiable results. Since 2001, Intra-Focus has helped 143 clients realize their internet solutions. The success of its internet solutions product has seen an influx in the amount of customers who wish to completely rebrand their online and offline presence.

“Intra-Focus has created a new way of thinking in marketing,” said Robert Cowes, Products and Services Principal. “A few years ago, we would help a company with a specific marketing need. Now, we are helping our clients with all of their marketing needs and giving them a fresh look to attract new customers and to retain loyal clients.”

Typically, the Intra-Focus rebranding process starts with the logo design—either creating a completely new design or tweaking the existing design. Once the logo has been approved, the rebranding branches off to multiple people on multiple production teams. Stationery (business cards, envelopes, thank-you cards, etc.) with the new logo incorporated is created. New brochures or sales slicks are produced using updated content and pictures from Intra-Focus’ large photo library. Also included in a typical rebranding package is full SEO and usability treatment of the website. Next in the production timeline is the design of the website, which is shaped by the look and feel of the brochure to ensure that the branding bridges between print and internet marketing.

Once the web design has been approved and built, Intra-Focus creates automatic e-mail campaigns that respond to a client when internet users fill out online forms. These e-marketing components also contain the key branding elements.

Clients who have used the award-winning rebranding product at Intra-Focus have been so pleased with the results that they have continued the relationship with additional e-mail campaigns and direct mail pieces.

Results are key in this process and Intra-Focus has proven that they understand how to get outstanding results from something as seemingly effortless as a company makeover.